Harsh Reality
by BubblyShell22
Summary: April really wished she could turn back the clock and do it all over again. Had it been worth it in the end? Reality hit her like a slap in the face, and she realized that life didn't always have a happy ending.


Harsh Reality

A/N: Hey, everyone, I'm back with another story. This bunny has been sitting in my head for a long time, and I thought it was time to bring it out. I've seen a lot of stories where the Turtles end up getting either April or Karai pregnant and having babies. Now, while some of these stories are sweet and well-written, I just don't believe that the Turtles could get anyone pregnant due to the fact that they're turtles and not fully human. However, if such a thing WERE to occur, I would think that the story I'm about to present to you would be the end result.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot to the story.

Summary: April really wished she could turn back the clock and do it all over again. Had it been worth it in the end? Reality hit her like a slap in the face, and she realized that life didn't always have a happy ending.

April O'Neil lay on her bed, tears pouring out of her eyes. She couldn't believe that this was happening to her. She had been so happy and so full of life, and now it was all gone. Her life would never be the same again. April really wished she could turn back the clock and do it all over again. Maybe she would have made a different choice. Had it been worth it in the end? She had dreamed of what would happen and the memories she would share. But sadly, that was not to be. Reality hit her like a slap in the face, and she realized that life didn't always have a happy ending.

She heard footsteps coming down the hall and stop at her door. She knew her aunt wanted to talk to her, but she didn't want to talk to anyone. She'd already endured a lecture about what she'd done and how foolish she'd been. Hadn't she been punished enough?

"April, can I talk to you?" her aunt asked. Her voice was kind as though she was sorry for what her niece had gone through. Why couldn't she have been like that earlier instead of yelling at her for how stupid she had been? Why was she suddenly so concerned?

"Go away!" April yelled. "I don't want to talk about it!"

Her aunt sighed and retreated. Good. At least she wouldn't have to hear another stupid lecture.

Her eyes drifted to the T-Phone on her nightstand. She really needed to call Donnie and tell him what had happened to her. He deserved to know. But then she thought it would be best to not tell him tonight. He would be devastated once he found out, and she wasn't in the mood to deal with that tonight.

She sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "How could you be so stupid, April?" she lectured to herself.

22222

It had started out like any normal tutoring session. Don had come over to help her with her math homework as usual. He helped her to understand the more difficult problems, and she was grateful for his help. Once the assignment was done, they began to talk about different things, and April told him about some boys in her class who really liked her. Then Don looked at her in a way that made her heart flutter as he leaned over and kissed her. She returned the kiss and told Don exactly how she felt. There were other feelings inside of her, too, and she couldn't mask them anymore.

"April, I love you," Don told her.

"I love you, too," she answered. She eyed her bed and motioned that she wanted Don to set her there. He picked her up and carried her to the bed where they continued to kiss and caress. April wanted more, and she could tell Don did, too, though he was unsure about it.

"April, are you sure you want to do this?" he asked her.

"Yes, I do, Donnie," she replied. "I love you, and I want to show you how much I love you. Besides, you're a mutant turtle. You can't get me pregnant."

"Well, okay," he said. "But I hope you're sure about this, April."

In response, she removed her clothing and allowed him to see her in all of her glory. Don's mouth hung open in disbelief, but he didn't turn away from her and began kissing and caressing her once more.

22222

Now, April wished they hadn't done it. What had she been thinking? Sure, she loved Donnie, but real love meant using common sense. Hadn't her father always taught her that? How could she have let it get out of control like that?

22222

April was so happy and felt like she was on cloud nine. Her night with Donnie had been the greatest of her life, and she hoped that they would have better nights like that soon. She kept daydreaming about him while she was in class, which caused her grades to slip, but she didn't care. She felt that nothing could go wrong now that she had someone who really cared about her in her life. But a few days later, she began to feel really nauseous and had to throw up. She thought maybe it was just the flu, but when the nausea continued, she knew it was something far more serious. Panicking, she went to the drugstore and got a pregnancy test. Maybe it was just a false alarm or something she ate. But after she took the test, her worst fears became real.

She was pregnant.

"How can this be?" she whispered. Donnie was a mutant turtle. There was no way that this could have happened.

Then she realized that Don had to know. After all, he was the father of the child. She couldn't just keep this from him. So, that night, she went to the Lair, her stomach full of butterflies at the prospect of telling Don and his family that she was having Don's baby.

"Guys, there's something that I have to tell you," she began.

The Turtles and Splinter turned their attention to her, wondering what she was going to say.

April took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant," she said.

Mikey whooped and gave her a hug. "All right, April!" he yelled. "Way to score! So, who's the baby daddy? Some hot guy who's gonna make all your dreams come true?"

April shook her head. "No, Mikey, it's not a guy," she said. "It's Donnie's."

Mikey's grin dropped off his face. "Wait, you had sex with Don?" he asked. He turned to his brother in purple. "Bro, why didn't you tell us? This is a momentous occasion."

Don ignored his orange-clad brother and turned to April. "You're pregnant?" he asked her. "How is that even possible?"

"I don't know, but it's true," she replied. She pulled out the pregnancy test and showed them the results.

"Donnie, how could you be so stupid?" Leo yelled at him. "Didn't you consider that this was a possibility?"

"No, I didn't, Leo!" yelled Don. "I thought that it was a harmless act."

"Well, it's not!" Leo retorted. "Now, April's pregnant with your baby? Do you realize what that means for her?"

"Considering I know a lot more about sex than you do, Leo, I think I do know what this means," Don replied.

"This is a very serious matter," Splinter interjected. "The question is what do we do with the child? They may not turn out to be human after all and may share some of Donatello's characteristics. If that is true, this child may be ostracized for who they are. You must consider that risk, April."

"The best thing to do would be to have an abortion," Raph piped up. "There's no way that kid will be able to survive if it's like Donnie."

"I'm not going to abort the pregnancy," April declared. "I'm keeping this baby."

"April, think about it," Raph told her. "This kid will be a freak of nature. Do you really want the kid to grow up like an outcast? At least getting rid of the pregnancy would mean the kid wouldn't have to go through that."

"And it would also mean that the kid would die, Raph," April reminded him. "I'm not going to just kill the kid. I want to keep it."

"Yeah, then we could be some awesome uncles," Mikey chimed in. "I'd teach the kid all about being a ninja and about how to cook."

"Yeah, but then the kid would be considered a freak of nature like we are," Raph reminded him. "I really don't think it's a fair thing to do. We had no choice in the matter, but April can make the right choice and get rid of the kid for good."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Raph," Leo piped up. "Think about the injustice of killing a kid who hasn't had a chance to be born. Maybe April can just give it up for adoption."

"Oh, and what adoption agency is gonna take a half mutant and half human baby, Leo?" Raph asked him.

"Well, the baby's also Don's kid, so we could just take him or her in and raise them," Leo suggested. "That way the baby could still live and be raised by Don and April."

"What do you think, Donatello?" Splinter asked his purple-clad son.

Don sighed. "As much as I'd love for April to keep the baby, the risks would be too great," he answered. "Even if the pregnancy does go as planned, there could still be risks once you give birth, April. I think Raph's right on this one. Maybe it would be best to just abort the pregnancy."

April looked at him with a cold glint in her blue eyes. "How could you be so heartless?" she snapped. "This is your kid, too, and you just want to get rid it like it doesn't matter? I thought you had compassion, Donnie. I thought you cared."

"I do care, April, but the reality is that it's too big a risk for you to take," Don insisted. "You need to think about your own health, too. If the baby is part mutant it could create some big complications for both of you."

"I don't care about that!" April yelled. "It's my decision, and I'm keeping the baby whether you like it or not!"

"Then if that is your decision, April, we will respect it," said Splinter, giving a look to all of his sons. The Turtles nodded, though Don and Raph weren't too happy about her decision at all.

22222

As the weeks went by, things became tough for April. She had to hide the truth from her aunt, and she knew it was going to be hard to do so once she began to show. Her aunt asked about her nausea, but April just passed it off a bug she'd caught in school. She hated going to the Lair because she knew that Don and Raph weren't happy with her decision to keep the baby, though they tried their best to sound as though they were glad she was making the right choice. Mikey was ecstatic and kept making lists of potential names for the baby while Leo made sure April didn't do any more training while she was pregnant. Don kept making sure she was okay and constantly asked if she needed anything. April assured him she was fine and that everything was going great.

22222

April sighed as she remembered all of this. How could things have gone so wrong when everyone seemed to be so happy for her?

22222

April came home and decided to lie down for a little while. She'd had a good time with the Turtles and had been joking with Mikey about some of the more outlandish baby names that celebrities kept choosing for their kids. Just as she settled down, she felt a horrible cramp seize her and was terrified. This couldn't be right. She wasn't on her period anymore. Could something be happening? She thought the cramp would pass, but it kept on happening, and then she felt blood trickle down her leg. She called for her aunt who decided to rush April to the hospital.

When they arrived, the doctors examined April and then gave her the worst news she could possibly hear.

"April, I'm afraid you've suffered a miscarriage."

"Wait, April was pregnant?" her aunt asked.

"Yes, she was eight weeks pregnant to be exact," the doctor replied. "But unfortunately, she has suffered a miscarriage."

"Aunt Agatha, I'm so sorry," April sobbed. "I didn't think this would happen!"

"Well, what did you expect would happen when you decided to have sex?" Agatha snapped. "Who is the boy? Is he someone from school?"

"No, he doesn't live in New York," April replied. "He was just visiting."

"You mean you had sex with a boy you didn't even know?" Agatha gasped. "Did he rape you?"

"No, I let him do it," April said. "He was just so nice, and he said he loved me." She hated lying to her aunt, but this was the way it had to be. She couldn't tell her the truth about who had gotten her pregnant.

"April Marie O'Neil, how could you be so stupid?" Agatha lectured. "You never should have let him do that to you! You're lucky the baby's dead, or else it would have been worse for you!"

"Ma'am, I think April's suffered enough for right now," the doctor said. "Perhaps you should just take her home and let her get some rest."

"Well, you're lucky I'm not throwing her out on the streets," Agatha muttered. "This is what happens when your father gets kidnapped by crazy people and he's not in your life."

April felt awful as she heard her aunt lecture to her. She knew her aunt didn't mean some of the things she said, but she did have a point. It had been stupid for April to have sex like that and not to realize what could happen. This would definitely be a lesson for her in the future.

22222

April sighed as she thought about all of this. It wasn't fair that the baby had died like that. April knew that if she had been a mother, she would have been a great mother and would have taken care of the baby the best she could. And if he or she had been half mutant, she wouldn't have cared. She would have lived in the sewer with her baby and with Donnie for the rest of her life no matter what. But sadly, that was not to be. Karma had dealt her a blow and let her suffer for her mistake.

She picked up the T-Phone and decided it was time to tell Don the truth. She couldn't wait any longer. Her hands shook as she dialed the number and waited for him to pick up.

"Donnie, I need to tell you something," she said.

"April, what's wrong?" Donnie asked her, his voice filed with concern.

"I lost the baby," she answered.

"Oh, April, I'm so sorry," he said. "I know I was against you keeping it, but I'm glad you made the right decision. I'm just sorry that you lost it."

"Wait, you're not mad at me?" April asked him as she wiped away her tears.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Don asked her.

"Because the baby's gone," April replied. "I thought maybe you'd blame me or something."

"April, I could never blame you for anything," Don assured her. "It wasn't your fault you lost the baby. Chances are, it just wasn't compatible for you to carry it to a full term because it was half mutant, too. I know you had your heart set on keeping this baby, and I know you had high hopes for us as well. But even though this baby is gone, it doesn't change a thing with us. I still love you, and I always will. And maybe down the line, we can always adopt if that's what you want."

April smiled. She was glad Donnie didn't hate her for losing the baby and that he still wanted to take a chance on her. "You know, that might be a good idea," she said softly. "I think I've learned my lesson now. Maybe I wasn't meant to have this baby at all, and that's why I lost it. But I know that in time, I will be meant to have a child when I'm older. All I care about right now is being with you. I'm just glad you're still willing to stick by me despite what happened."

"I'll always stick by you, April, no matter what," Don promised. "Do you want me to come over?"

"No, that's okay," April answered. "I think I'll be fine now. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Don responded. "Then I'll talk to you later. I love you, April."

"I love you, too, Donnie," April said back. After she hung up, she couldn't help but smile. Splinter was right when he said that every dark cloud has a silver lining. Right now, April was sad about the baby, but she was happy that she still had Don by her side and that they would get through this together. As long as she had her friends by her side, she could get through anything. With that last thought in her head, April lay her head down and went to sleep.

The End

A/N: I know the ending probably sounds corny, but it's the best I could do. So, that's my take on the whole pregnancy thing. I know it's sad, but real life doesn't always have a happy ending. That's why I titled the story as Harsh Reality. I probably could have gone on about this, but I think the story's gone on long enough since it's ten pages long, and I think I created the best stopping point for it. Feel free to leave a review, and have a shelltastic day.


End file.
